PIM Women's Challenge 2011

Profile
·    Name: Eva Shaw
·    Age: 38
·    Occupation: Head hunter
·    Address: Široká 9/96, Prague 1
·    Number of children and their names: Tobias/Toby (10), Alexandr/Saša (6)
·    Favorite food: hmm, that´s not easy – fish and seafood
·    Favorite drink: Champagne
·    Favorite film: Oceans Eleven
·    Favorite music: Jazz, Soul
·    Best vacation: a boat trip to British Virgin Islands
·    Fitness level: ok 🙂
·    Best running experience: London Marathon in 2003
Top 3 achievements in sports:
·    London Marathon 2003
·    Berlin Marathon 2003
·    Prague Half Marathon 2010

Wednesday:
I left my run today for the evening and I had a real lovely feeling as the sun was out and there was a real Spring feeling. I ran along the river my usual route down past Vysehrad and really loved the sound of the birds, the reflection of the sun on the river. Fantastic feeling. I do love it when the weather gets better. Today´s run was an optimistic one as I had all sorts of things going through my mind and actually running always seems to clear my head or at least put things into perspective.

Saturday:
Long day today. Knew I had to run and I had to go out by 10:30 as we have another busy day ahead of us. Of course last night we went out with great friends and as usual a fn evening but a late night which makes it so much harder to motivate yourself, especially when the weather was not great – cold and windy and rainy. Luckily I planned the right time to go out as I missed the rain. I ran all the way to the golf course in Modrany and back and had one gel, which really helped and the last half of the run actually wasn´t as hard as the first. I ran 16.7 km in 1hr 40 so I´m on the cusp of 2hrs. Will or won´t I??

Tuesday:
Interval training. Great training session today as there were 5 of us. Ladies from Pruhonice and who are good friends of Bex. Thank you ladies for coming along today! It was great! WE started off running across the bridge at Rudolfinum and along the river in Mala Strana and Kampa. We ran back over Palckeho and then made our way down to the river where we planned to run our interval training. SO nice leisurely run to then running 10x 2 minutes fast and then 2 minutes slow. Tough very tough but with so many of us it actually made it so much easier. Running is a great sport because it is so versatile. If you need to clear your head it´s great – you can run on your own, or you can listen to music and run in your zone. Or if you fancy a catch up with a friend you can and then running in numbers makes you more focused. We all ran so well and then ran back to my home in Prague 1 and felt great. We were actually out for 1hr 25 minutes in total and I think we actually ran almost 12km. Not bad especially as it was interval training! Great feeling today; beautiful weather!

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Saturday:
Why is it that with every long run I have terrible nerves beforehand. Today I met up with my very good friend Becs and I have to admit my heart wasn´t in it. The weather was quite chilly and windy and we decided to run from Modrany again where a week before everyone was out on their bikes and skates and today there were very few people. The weather was very similar to the Half Marathon last year and made me hope we have an improvement this year! Becs and I ran together for almost an hour and then I continued through Modrany towards home as it was easier for me to keep going. I took my gel at 55 minutes and then ran, ran and ran. To be honest I actually started enjoying the run as I was getting closer to Vysehrad may have been due to the fact that I knew I didn´t have too far to go  I ran 19km in 1 hour 56 and that was with two stops so I was extremely pleased with myself.

Tuesday:
Today it was interval training again and I ran with Bex again my fantastic running friend :). We ran outside along the river and it was tough. We really pushed ourselves and ran 15 mins, 8x 2 at fast level and then 8x 2 slower and then 10 minutes. We were absolutely exhausted. The first two minutes of the fast run you manage ok but after that it´s a battle to keep going at the same pace for the 2 minutes. The first minute you manage and then 30 seconds just about and the last 30 seconds you are panting…. Anyway once again the weather served us well and we managed a good run and I felt that I could tick off my interval training on my plan and feel good about it.

Saturday:
Long run today with Bex. We actually met up just after 15:00 and parked near Modrany to run our long run along the river. Funnily enough after feeling so exhausted this week I was nervous about the run. We set off towards Zbraslav and there were so many people out on their skates, bikes, and some runners. We ran to the little hospoda near the Zbraslav bridge and I have to say it felt quite tiring but good. We then ran back to where the car was parked but continued on along to where the golf course is and along the river. I think we must have run close to 18km and we ran that in 1hr 46 minutes so very pleased. Towards the end I actually felt I could have kept going. It´s the first part of the run that can be the battle. I did try a gel today – was a little nervous as they can make your body react in different ways! However I must say it did help and I think I probably would try another one nearer the 90 minute mark for the last push. I ran in my old running shoes as I have been getting terrible blisters on the soles of my feet. Painful! In the past I always get blisters and have also had toenails coming off but that just seems normal. Sounds terrible but actually it´s the blisters that are worse. Anyway felt good and it was such a lovely Spring Day that it made me smile!

Tuesday:
Today it was interval training………my favourite not! Anyway luckily I had a Spa Day arranged with my two lovely friends Bex and Jan. Bex is also running the half marathon! As we had arranged to have a massage at the Augustine hotel we decided we would meet beforehand and spend the time working on our intervals on the two treadmills they had in their gym. We ran together and it was so much easier with someone else. Interval training is hard at the best of times however it seemed to go quickly as we were both running! We also had the incentive of the massage we had booked afterwards! We ran 7.9 km in total.

Friday:
Today it was our Pim´s Women´s meeting again in Prague 9 – Letnany. I managed to get there for 11:15 and we all met up at around 11:45. It was great to see everyone again and catch up. We were given all our Adidas kit, which was great. Bright colours and really stylish running gear. Shoes were nice but will need to wear them in and of course a mi-coach! Great running tool! We spent the first hour talking about experiences and catching up and then Milos held a 50 minute HEAT class. I would highly recommend it. I had not done it before and once I understood what I had to do it was really enjoyable. Better than a treadmill, more walking but you could regulate speed and the gradient. Would go again! Left around 16:30 after having arranged to run the 10k the next day at Kbely. Why???

Saturday:
What a fantastic day! Today I woke up at 07:00 to make sure I was out by 07:30 to meet up with Lamya one of the twelve of the Women´s Challenge. We set off on our way to Kbely where there was 10k race and where we would be meeting 8 other ladies from the team! I have to say that I hadn´t felt this nervous for such a long time – it had the feel of a school cross country race. The smell of deep heat, all the young supple athletes warming up and the buzz of people getting ready around you! The race started at 10:00 and it was great. The weather conditions were perfect; chilly but sunny and the route was nice and flat and on country roads. The 10 of us ran brilliantly. Ilona, Eva and Pavlina all came in under 50 minutes, which was amazing – they even overtook Milos who was the pacemaker for 50 minutes :). I finished it in 56.06 and I was over the moon! I was grinning from ear to ear as were all the others. Petronela followed 30 seconds later and the rest followed within minutes. There was a real team spirit and I hope we continue to meet at races now and then through the year (not sure if I can do this every week:) ) Another ‘feel great´ run!

Sunday:
Interesting run today – why? – well firstly had a late night on Saturday, as we went out for dinner with friends and had a great evening but very tired in the morning!! Secondly ran in new shoes, which was a little painful as I ended up with blisters on both of my feet on the soles, which hurts! However the shoes do need breaking in and so better to have them now then on ‘Race Day´. Good time now as I have 4 weeks before ‘Race Day´ so by then my feet should have hardened! I did manage to run for 1 hour and 35 minutes. It felt good and I think I ran about 16/17k need to measure exactly but I was exhausted by the time I came home!

Tuesday Run:
Arrived back from Spindl at 14:00 and went for run along the river. It was really cold but beautiful again. Ran my usual route along the river at Mala Strana and then over the bridge to Vysehrad and then back again!

Wednesday Run:
Am really busy with work and so knew I had to run this morning. It´s the time more than anything. 50 minutes isn´t long but when you have a full day of work, children, household etc it can be quite stressful. However once again my river run made me feel positive and raring to go! It was very cold today though and I really started to feel it towards the end. I am just thankful that the weather has been dry and no snow and ice as I much prefer running outside! Need to sort out a playlist though!

Thursday:
Off

Friday Run:
Wasn´t sure when I was going to manage my run today because if I don´t get it done first thing in the morning it´s difficult to get away during the day and the afternoon is always tricky with the children. However after a couple of meetings I actually went and ran in the Intercontinental Hotel. Felt a bit strange running and watching Comedy Channel but I laughed out loud watching Scrubs and Two and a Half Men not really what I watch but kept me going and I actually ran 8.4 km in 50 minutes, which I was very pleased with. My body actually felt really good with the speed and I felt comfortable!

Saturday Run:
I had my long run today and luckily for me I had arranged to run with a friend of mine who is new to Prague but not new to running. I also think she is going to run the Half Marathon!!! I will work on her 
Today my plan was to run in total 115 minutes. The weather was beautiful – cold again but blue skies and sunny. My plan was to run to my friend Tasha´s who lives about 10 minutes away in the centre and then to run along the river past the swimming pool at Podoli. It was lovely. There were so many people out walking, cycling and running and there is nothing better if you can run with someone else. We chatted most of the way, which makes the time fly by and is so much more enjoyable than running n a treadmill! As we ran through Vysehrad tunnel you could see all the people ice skating on the frozen river and practising their ice hockey moves – you would never find this in England
a) Ice hockey not really played
b) Never gets cold enough to be able to skate on rivers…….
We ran all the way down past Zlute Lazne and down onto the rod next to the river and then turned around and my friend Tasha jumped on a tram at Dvorce. I then continued after plugging into the ipod! I continued back along the river until I got to Palackeho and ran across the bridge to take me to Mala Strana and ran my usual route all along the river to Chechuv Most and back over again. A few stops along the way but managed 15k which is good but took too long. I need to increase my speed definitely if I want to do it in 2 hours!! I really enjoyed the run I just need to improve my speed, which is where I never really know how to do that! Anyway a nice run and always better when running with a good friend!

Sunday Run:
50 minutes today, which I was really looking forward to as I needed to clear my head a little. Tim and the boys went swimming and so I took advantage again of the blue skies and sunny weather. This is just perfect running weather! A little warmer and if it´s like this for the for the half marathon then it would be great! I ran along the river again today but basically a straight there and back so I got as far as the swimming pool and turned around there! It was approx 9 km which was great and I have to say I felt great running and my speed was much better! Great feeling and came home with a smile on my face :).

Thursday – Day Off!
So excited and felt great. This afternoon it was time to try some Adidas running gear on. I loved it. The shop Assistant Jana was so lovely and really helpful and it really gave me a spring in my step. They had the PIM Women´s Challenge leaflets in the shop so I told her that I was one of the women chosen. I couldn´t help myself and then she said she liked to run too so I told her I would hope to see her there running and that I would keep coming in to see how she was getting on!
Lovely feeling sharing the same thoughts on running. It´s amazing how running really helps people! Came home and was really excited to tell my family about it all.

Friday run:
Tim took children to school and so I was ready for my run at 07:45 and decided to run my usual route through town and along the river, crossing at Palackeho and down through Mala Strana. It was trying to snow today, however it wasn´t too cold and I really love Prague when it´s quiet. The mist makes the place look romantic but at the same time quite eerie. Ran 50 mins and really enjoyed it. We´re packed ready to go up to Spindl again but this time for 4 days. I have done a little research and have hopefully found another hotel where the gym may be a little bigger. Have got my music and I will manage my runs, I promise! I would even consider running outside if it´s not too icy but I don´t know Spindl well enough to explore so we´ll see.

Oh no that messed up my plan. Anyway I decided to run as far as I could. I listened to John Grisham on the ipod realising after a while that it really wasn´t helping the motivation! So music, music and more music. Luckily the treadmill faced a glass door which looked out onto the trees, snow and hills which made it so much more agreeable! I managed to run 67.33 mins but only 10k. That´s my problem. I should just stick to 10km per hour and then I would get my time. How am I possibly ever going to manage 21k in 2 hrs?? Anyway had to finish quite abruptly and I think the Gym Manager wasn´t too happy as he didn´t get off for lunch until 12:10. Oops!

Sunday Run:
Today I felt very tired and wasn´t sure what I was going to be able to manage but I was determined to catch up the minutes I hadn´t run and the 50 minutes I was supposed to run today. So in total I ran 77.3 mins and managed 11.6k. This time I even managed to finish in time for the Gym Manager to be able to lock up and have his full hour for lunch! I felt really good running today even though I think I need to stick to the same speed if training on the treadmill. I had blisters though which were painful 🙂
Anyway in the afternoon met up with my family and they went swimming whilst I enjoyed a 1h sports massage. Very pleasant!

Coopers Test – Friday
Amazing. Met 10 out of the 11 other women today up at Strahov. They are women with varied backgrounds from all over the Czech Republic, each one with their special story as to why they run. What is great is we all understand the spell running has over us. We all use it to enjoy the beauty around us, to clear our heads and overall to have that ‘me´ time which as a woman is so important! I think we all had “butterflies in our tummies” but once we started running then it all seemed OK again except for the unnerving snap of the camera at every lap 🙂
Anyway after that we all went on to one of the Conference rooms at Strahov where we all introduced ourselves and met the PIM team our coach and motivator 🙂 of course not forgetting Jan who so kindly measured us, weighed us and let us know how fit or not we actually are ……..
All in all a great day and really gave me a buzz. My family and I drove to Spindleruv Mlyn that evening with some friends to ski for the weekend and all I kept thinking about was my training plan.

Saturday run:
What can I say it was one of the most soul destroying runs I have done for a long time. I had to run 75 mins in total. On the face of it that doesn´t seem like too much. However I was in Spindl where it was very icy outside and so I thought it would be easier if I send everyone off to ski and I find a hotel with a treadmill in a gym. I did….Hotel Harmony very small gym with one treadmill in the basement. High windows where I could some of the blue sky and sunshine but the gym was painted green and it was empty. I also forgot my music so listened to the Czech radio. I have to say the first 35 minutes was a battle in my mind! “ I cannot go any further.”….. “ I have to continue”, “ I cannot stop”, “STOP”, “NO”, “STOP”. As you can imagine not a positive start. However as I got to 40 minutes I started planning my 40th birthday next year and it became easier. I completed it and ran 11.5k. However that run will remain in my mind as one of the worst runs ever.

Sunday run:
I could not bear another gym run so decided I would wait until we returned to Prague and so enjoyed a lovely morning skiing and a wonderful lunch with our friends! We set off around 15:00 and arrived in Prague around 17:30. Did I feel like running no not at all. However I got myself together and decided to go. I suddenly realised why I love running! It was evening, quiet and I ran through the streets of Prague and along the river. Beautiful! I felt great, my body felt great and actually I could have run further than 50 minutes. All worth it! This run will remain in my mind as the beautiful one after the worst…….. Good night all!

A little background on my relationship with running. As a child / young teenager I ran for my school 1500m and cross country runs and then subsequently ran for Imperial Athletics Club in Harrogate but at the age of 17 gave it up as there were very few girls training three times a week. My family are Czech and running was a huge part of my father´s side and my cousins still compete in the Czech Republic at top level in sprinting but I´m definitely not a sprinter and running did not seem important enough when I was at University or really in my 20´s.

My husband and I lived in Prague from 1996 – 2000 had a great time and then started to settle down, married and had our first baby (Toby) in 2000, which is when we returned to the UK and lived in London. Now that is where the running adventure begins. As many women know the euphoria of having your first child passes and then you realise you have other responsibilities and all of a sudden your time is no longer your own. I suddenly realised I was exhausted, unable to keep on top of everything and putting on weight. That does not bode well to you inner mental state….. so in 2001 I decided to apply for the London Marathon which takes place every April. The first time I did not get in – did it stop me from applying again?…. no! We moved from London to Harrogate in Yorkshire and I reapplied and was accepted in December 2002 for the 2003 Marathon. Shock, horror how was I possibly going to manage a 26.2 mile or 42km run. So I joined a running club. We met every Tuesday and Thursday and I loved it. I trained as much as I could, having no experience but prepared as much as I could.

The Big Day came and the nerves were immense. I was lucky as my sister Zuzana who lived in London was running too. It was an amazing experience, the atmosphere, the people. It was so overwhelming. It was a beautiful day and then first 6 miles were smooth until my sister and I lost each other…terrible. Anyway the next 10 miles were OK but around the 14mile mark it started getting tough especially when I heard that Paula Radcliffe had finished and I still had almost half to go! Anyway bizarrely enough at mile 16 my sister and I met up and she was just in front, which was so lucky as then came the tough part. Mile 19 was when I hit my “ wall” and what a brick wall it was. However to cut a long story short we kept going helping each other until we turned into Parliament Square and I have to say I cried. There were so many people and all were cheering and the music was playing! One of my best achievements in my whole life! It´s such an overwhelming feeling. However what happens next. You´re still on a high and then two days later the anti climax hits you hard…. Well I continued running a little however it was time then to think about expanding the family and soon after I became pregnant again and my second son Sasa was born on April 1st 2004.

I love Prague and the city and the outskirts and the country side and as the weather was so much nicer than in the UK it suddenly seemed so much easier to get fit again. I would drop the children off at school and skolka and then by 08:00 I was running in Letna Park or along the river or through the Castle. Beautiful!
Then a friend of ours ran the Prague Marathon and we went to cheer him on. It was a hot day and to be honest I could not believe there were not that many people. Of course in the centre but for such a long way it´s not enough support. So unfortunately I vowed then I could not run Prague Marathon – the big thing about running marathons for me is that you have the support of people, but it did make me think maybe I could try another Marathon and so I decided to try for Berlin. So I trained in the summer and at the end of September 2007 I completed the Berlin Marathon. Another great Marathon, flat, busy, lively and very well organised!

Well since then I have been running off and on and it´s all to do with time and life in general however the year before last I ran the Tesco Run for life with both of my boys and they loved it and I loved it and so vowed that I have to run more. A lot of our friends who live here and are all different nationalities including Czech of course decided they were going to run the Half Marathon last year. This gave me the motivation I needed and it was fun. The great thing is that the publicity has grown and so many more people actually get involved and it´s great. Who wouldn´t want to run in Prague it´s probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

Anyway I completed the Half Marathon after a number of gruelling months of training on a treadmill due to the long winter in 2hrs and 11 mins. I felt great……and thought to myself mmm 11 minutes could I not run it under 2 hours? So I have now been bitten by the bug and during the January blues I decided I needed another goal. So kept looking on the website and decided to apply for the Half Marathon again and the Women´s Challenge as I thought it was fantastic motivational event that really does bring women together. I truly believe everyone can run and should run it as it helps the body and soul and everything seems so much clearer and better after a run. It clears out the cobwebs!

Other interests/hobbies: family, friends, reading, travel
Main reason for participation in PIM Women´s Challenge: I like to set goals for myself and I wanted to be part of a marathon that gets bigger every year.
Your personal goal: Convince my husband to run a half marathon with me 🙂 but that is not going to happen. To complete the New York Marathon (if I get in) under 5 hours. To complete the following 5 marathons: London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Boston
Your life motto: You have but one life so try everything possible – otherwise it would be sad to regret a missed oportunity!